Fluid device



Dec. 2s, 1943.

P. l. SCHULTZ FLUID DEVICE lFiled Dec. 4, 1957 lmlllmni 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVNT 1L Hliaflfcll z.

ATTORNEY.

FLUID DEVICE IUD Patented Dec. 28, 1943 UNITEDA STATES PATENT OFFICE FLUID DEVICE Paul I. Schultz, Cleveland, Ohio Application December 4, i937, serial Nc. iisnso s claims. `(ci. 121-38) My invention relates to fluid devices and more particularly to extendible iiuid devices.

An object of my invention is the provision of -an extendible fluid pressure 4device having two relatively movable parts forming an extendible fluid chamber and being arranged to move extendibly relative to each other for exerting an outward force as Ifluid pressure is supplied to said fluid chamber.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an extendible fluid device for exerting a predetermined outward force and control means responsive to said predetermined outward force and functioning after said predetermined outward force is exerted to enable the uid means to be subjected to a greater inward force than the predetermined outward force.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an extendible iluid device having two relatively movable parts forming an extendble fluid chamber and being arranged to move extendibly relative to each other and exert outward force as iluid pressure is applied to said'iluid chamber, after which the fluid in the chamber is entrapped which enables the relatively movable parts to be subjected toan inward force which is greater than the outward force which the relatively movable parts can exert prior to the en-4 pressure is relieved and then restored.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an extendible iiuid device which when -once extended to engage an object will not further extend itself when the object is removed.

Another object of my invention is the provision .of an extendible uid device which when once extended to engage anI object will follow the object as it is-moved away until the limit of the extension is reached.

Another object of my invention if; the provision of an extendible iiuid device having a pressure actuated valve for controlling the extendibility cf the device.

Another object of my invention ls the provision of an extend-ible iiuid device having a pressure actuatedvalve in. which the valve is biased to its closed position with a hydrostatic force.

Another object ony invention is the provision of an extendible uid devicehaving a pressure actuated valve and restricting means located between the .valve and the fluid source to delay .the build-upv of the pressure of the -uid acting upon the valve and thereby permitting the valve to close before the value of the fluid acting on the valve reaches a value substantially equal to the `Ipressure of the fluid source.v

Other objects and a fuller understanding may be had by referring to the following description C and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich like parts` are designated by like reference characters, and in which:

Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an exf tendible fluid device embodying the features of my invention; Y

Figure 2 is a modified form of the invention shown in'l Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration showing the manner in which myextendible fluid devices may be utilized in connection with a may chine tool operation;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of another form of my extendible uid device; y

Figure 5 is a cross-*sectional view of a device which is a modified form of the device shown in Figure 4; and

Figure 6 shows an arrangement for holding an object utilizing the devices shown in Figures 4 and 5.

With reference to Figure 1 ofthe drawings,

I my extendible uid device is indicated generally by the'reference character I4 and comprises an upper casing l5 and'a lower casing I6 threadably connected together by the threads I1. The upper casing i5 is hollow and is provided with a fluidoperated plunger i9 whichengage sa slidable support or lift member 28 which is arranged to engage anobject 21. The lower end of the slidable support or liftmember 28 is provided with an annular flange or shoulder 23 which rests upon the `upper end of the cylinder 20. `Therefore,

relative movement may occur between the shoulder 23 and the plunger I9 and relieve the plunger I9 from side thrust incidental to the slidable supporter lift member 2B, which may as a modincation be part of a machine or mechanism. The iiuid operated plunger I9 is arranged to t within a cylinder 20 which is threadably secured to the inside of the upper casing I5 by means of the threads 2l. A suitable tool adapted to t into the recess 22 provided on the upper end of the cylinder 20may be used to screw the cylinder into the inside of the upper casing I5. In' order to prevent the iiuid from owing past the plunger subsequentl time, it may be advisable to place air le, there shou1d be a good nt between the plunger I9 and the-cylinder 20, or, any conventional seal may be employed.

A spring 24 is positioned between the shoulder 23 and a retaining cap 25 which is threadably connected to the inside of the upper casing I by means of the .threads 26. 'I'he 'function of thespring 24 is to bias the uid operated plunger I9 to its lower, most position when the iluid pressureis released. The fluid communication to the cylinder is controlled by a valvelhaving a valve seat 3I and a valve head 32. A restriction member 34, having a small opening 35, is positioned in; the fluid port 36 and restricts the flow of the uid into my iluid device. As illustrated, the restriction member 34 may be threadably engaged into the port 36 by the illustrated threads and is provided with a ball check valve 29 which .allows the unrestricted ow of the'fluid from' my device.

The valve head 32 may be actuated by a valve stem 31 which is connected to and operated by a fluid ,piston 39 reciprocally mounted within a cylinder 46 provided in the lower casing I6. The

piston 39 abuts against a shoulder 38 provided on the lower end o'f the valve stem 31 and includes a pistongasketo 4I, a spring expander 42 and s a retaining plate 43 which is securely held in position by means ora, jam nut 44 and alock nut 45 which threadably engage the valve stem 31.

To prevent fluid from leaking past the upper end' of the valve stem 31 and into the space above the piston 39, a gasket seal 41 snugly engages the valve stem 31 and is held in p osition by means of a threaded gasket cap 48. The uid piston 39 is biased to its lowermost position by means oi a spring 46 `which is positioned between the retaining plate 43 and an adjusting nut I8.

.YI'he tension ofthe spring 46 may be adjusted by turning the adjusting n'ut I8 by means of a 'suitable tool inserted through an opening 30 in the side of the casing |s and engaging suitable peripheral notches 5 6 of the adjusting nut. The iiuid in the 'port 36 surrounding the upper end of the valve stem 31 may ilow through a iluid du'ct 49 which extends through the valve stem 31 and into the space su .below the nuid piston 39. The space abovegthe uid 'piston 39 is open traps in the iluid system.

In operation, the uid is forced under presows comparatively slowly through the small opening 35 of the restriction member 34 and since the valve head 32 is biased away from the valve seat by means ofthe spring 46, a pressure will gradually build up in all of the iluid passages and chambers of my fluid device. As soon as the force created by the fluid pressure on the bottom of the iluid operated plunger I9 becomes great enough to overcome the spring 24, the fluid oper` ated plunger I9 will move out of the cylinder 29 until the upper engaging end of the slidablesupport or lift member 23 meets with resistance or otherwise engages the object 21 which is to be supported. The ratios of the diameters of the plunger I9 and the piston 39 and the forces exerted by the spring 24 and 46 are so proportioned or adjusted that a greater fluid pressure is required to raise the piston 39 and close the valve head 32 against the valve seat 3 I vthan is required to 'raise the plunger I9. The function of the spring 24 is to return the-plunger I9 to its lowermost position. In place of the spring 24, the

,weight oi the piston or when applicable, the

weight ofy the object being supported mayvbe used in somecases to return the plunger I9 to its lowermost position. Or the piston may be returned manually by hand or by' iiuid means which may create a pressure on the outer end of the plunger or by withdrawing the uid and creating a vacuum on the inner end of the plunger I9. As the uid is forced into the port 36, it will continue to flow into the cylinder 20, under the plunger I9, until the plunger meets with reto atmosphere through means of the opening 36,. o that the iluid piston may move -up and' down without entrapping air above it. i

.To operate my extendible fluid device shown in 1. it is iirst connected to a fluid source and filled with a fluid. In cases where-the objects to be supported are to'be absplutelyrigid, the-fluid f device must be filled with an incompressible iluid and no air bubbles must beallowd to form in A theair passage arl-the cylinder chamber 2Q between the iluidoperated lplunger I9 and the valve seat-3|. To facilitate theremoval, of the air when filling my iluid device, aport 63 is provided in one side of the casing I5, which-allows the air to escape when, the cylinder 20 is unscrewed slightly., WhenA oil or uld is forced into the -cylinder A2I belowthe plunger I9, it will start to ilow out of the port 53, forcing the air in advance ofpit. The cylinder 29 is then screwed in tightlyby means of a tool ilttin'g in the recess' 22, after which the slidablesupport or lift member28, the spring L24 and the retainer cap 25 may be mounted. To avoid the .possibility of air entering-in the cylinder chamber 20 atV any slstance from some object which it is to operate .and when suillcient resistance is encountered a pressure will be built up in the chamber 50 below the piston 39 suiilcient to overcome the prevvalve head '32 will move upwardly and engage the valve seat 3| and entrap the fluid inthe cylinder 20, below the plunger I9.

All of the' passages should be so proportioned that the pressure in chamber 5II- under piston 39 will remain substantially the same as the pressure in cylinder 20 under piston I9 at all times prior to the closing o! valve head 32 against valve seat 3|. The restriction member 34 may be employed to facilitate this, however. the restriction is not essentialrto the operation, especially if the velocity of the iow of the uid source is not too high.

Ihe value of the opposing force of the spring 46 may` be varied by turning the adjusting nut ,18, andthe value of the force of the spring 46 may be sadjusted that the valve headJ 32 is hydrostatically biased to its closed position against the valve seat 3I before the pressure in the chamber' 50 below the piston 39 becomes 'equal to the pressure of the fluid source or reaches a value substantially equal to the pressure of the fluid in the' uid feed pipe 33. Thus for example, ii' the pressure of .the iluid entering my fluid device were 200 pounds per square inch,

' then the spring 46' may be so set that the valve head 32 -is biased against the valve seat` 3| when the pressure in the chamber 59 and in t cylinder 20 below the :duid'actuated-plunger I9 reaches pounds per square inch. Consequently, after the closing ofthe-valve head 32 against the valve seat 3 I, the pressure inthe' chamber 5I! will build ldetermined load of spring'46 at which poin't the 'up to a pressure substantiallyelqual to the presvsure of the source and holds the valve head against the valve seat 3| with a hydrostatic force f greater than that required to close the valve head 32 against the valve seat 3| and thereby enables I the fluid operated plunger |9to`-be subjected to an inward force which is greater than the outward force which the fluid operated plunger I9 exerted prior to the closing of the valve head 32y against the valve seat 3|.

After `the valve head 32 contacts the valve seat 3| the uld operated plunger I9 can be subjected to a greater inward force than the outward force which the fluid operated plunger I9 exerted prior to the closing of the valve head 32 against the valve seat 3|. In extending, the plunger I9 can only exert a force' caused by the'action of the duid pressure acting on the bottom or eiective area of plunger I9 and this pressure is equal to and can never exceed the pressure required to close the valve head 3| against the valve seat 32 or specifically the pressure required to overcome the tension of the spring when acting on the effective area of the bottom 'of piston 39. The plunger I9, however,y is capable of resisting a much higher inward force because to move the piston I9 back, it is necessary for the fluid pressure in cylinder under fluid piston I9 to push the valve head 3|l away from valve seat 32, so that fluid can ,flow out `of cylinder 20. The force required to push the plunger I9 inwardly must be such that the force caused by the 'fluid pressure built up in the cylinder 2|) acting on the valve head 32 plus the force exerted by the spring I6 is equal or greater than the force caused by the fluid pressure acting upon the piston 39. Since mit the valve head 32-to close against the valve seat 3| before the value of the luid pressure Yon the valve side of the restriction member becomes equal to or 'reaches a value substantially equal to the pressure of the fluid on Ythe source side of the fluid restricting member 34. The restriction member 34 is not essential to the operation of the unit if the velocity of now of the fluid source is not too high. i

'I'he pressure ofthe fluid is entrapped in the cylinder 20 below the'iluid operated plunger I9 and tends to" bias the valve head 32 away from the valve seat 3|. and should this -pressure ever become great enough so that the force which it creates on -the valve head 32 plus the force of the spring 46 exceed the force exerted bythe fluid pressure underneath the piston 39, then the valve head 32 will move away'from the valve seat 3| and allow fluidto flow .back into the source, which in turn. permits 'the fluid operated plunger I9 to move back. invention is, therefore, useful and finds many advantages in cases where it is desired to have the fluid operated plunger move until it makes contact with the object it is to support, and after makingv contact will exert. a denitemaximum predetermined force within the limits of the movement of the plunger I9 regardbe-subjected to a greater inward force than to be supported is stabilized in a fixed position,

the plunger I9 will never move out any further,

even though the object to be supported is en tirely removed. This, of course, is advantageous in applications Where it is desired to have a support in a denite position and where it would not be desirable to have the support or plunger follow the object it is supporting should the object be removed.

In FigureZ, I show a modification of a.l device shown in Figure 1, in that the fluid piston 39 is opposed by air or fluid pressure from the air or uid supply line 6| which may be regulated by an air or fluid pressure regulator 63 by turning the hand adjustment 64. An air or fluid gauge 62 may be provided to indicate the value of the pressure opposing the fluid piston 39. The'upper side of the fluid piston 39 is provided with a pis-` ton gasket 51 which is held in position by a gasket plate 59 and a nut 60 which threadably'engages the valve stem 31. A spring expander 58` may be employed to force the piston gasket 51 outwardly against the inside Wall of the cylinder I0. The operation of the uid device shown in Figure 2 is substantially the same as that previously described 'for Figure 1,` except that the value of the opposing force acting upon the fluid piston, 39 may be regulated by the air or fluid pressure `controlled by the adjustment 64.

In some applications it may beadvantageous to regulate or vary the fluid pressure opposing the piston 39 automatically in connection with an operation being performed relative to the piece acted on by piston I9.

For example, a work piece being machined may be supported by a numbenof units of the type indicated in Figure 1 or 2, and in the course of machining, a part of the work piece which is contacted by a support is cut od or otherwise moved and it is desired to have this particular support only to move out and contact a more remote part of the work piece. This can be accomplished by increasing the uid pressure opposing the piston 39 to a value sufficient to cause the piston 39 to move the valve .head 32 away from the valve seat 3|, which allows fluid to flow into the-cylinder 20 under the piston I9 causing the piston 'I9 to move out. Byl again dropping the fluid pressure opposing the piston 39 below the fluid pressure in chamber` 5|), the piston 39 will move'and close the valve head 32 against the valve seat 3| and the unit will again act in itsnormal fashion.

It is, therefore, possible in the manner just A explained to cause one or more units, which are connected to the same fluid source, to extend or to exert more or less force than they did at the less of. the location of the object to be supported instant 'valve 3| first closed. depending on the pressure of the fluid source by increasingv the pressure opposing the piston 39 to a; point where it is suillcient to cause the piston 39 to move the valve head 32 away `from the valve seat 3|, allowing'. fluid |70 OW into the cylinder 20 under the piston I9.

In Figure 3, I illustrated the applicati of y between the stationary jawJl and a movable jaw 12. As illustrated, a-plurality of my uid devices may be positioned upon the work table and arranged to have the outer end 28 oi the 'plunger I9 to engage the underneathl side of the 12 is arranged to exert a force and hold the work piece 69 in position prior to the operation of the fluid devices positioned under the work piece 69. The delayed action of the devices under the work piece 69 is accomplished by the employment of an adjustable spring loaded one-way valve 11 which must be biasedopen before iluid is permltted to ow through the uid pipe 16 and the assura uid pipe 18 which leads to the iiuid devices positioned under the work piece 69. Thus, as soonas the control lever 52 of the supply valve 5| `is open. the uid is immediately allowed to ow from the uid feed pipe 33 through the pipe 15 and into the fluid device .which operates themovable jaw 12.- When releasing the pressure upon the fluid devices, the control lever 52 of the supply valve 5| is moved to its released position, in which case fiuidfrom the device I4 operating the movable jaw 12 ows directly through the pipe 15, and to the uid return pipe 14, and the uid from'- the devices positioned under the work piece 69 flows through the pipe 18, the ball check valve 19 and the pipe 16 to the fluid return pipe 14. The work piece 69 may then be removed and a new work piece inserted in the jaw 1 I and Jaw 12, after which the operation may again be repeated. In operation, theupper end of the iluid operated plunger I9 exerts a definite predetermined pressure upon the underneath side of the work piece 69 until the valve head 32 engages the valve seat 3|, and entraps the fluid in the cylinder 20 which then acts as a solid body 'of inert fluid and which holds the work piece 69 in. a fixed position without exerting an outward force as the tool cutter 10 is operated. In the vevent that the work piece 69 tends"to bow-up as a result of the weakening of the workpiece `after it is cut, the plungers will not' follow the work piece 69 but will remain xed so that an `accurate milling job maybe obtained.4 In the event that the cuttertool 10 strikes an extraordinary hard place and consequently exerts heavy pressure which exceeds the force required to bias the valve head 32 away from the valve seat 3|',

4then the work piece 69vmay be allowed to go down andpermit the tool to pass over without the regular cutting, the .opposing force of. the

- spring 46or the air or fluid acting downwardly upon the piston 39 is so adjusted that the plunger will adequately support the work piece 69 without its going down.

vThe locating supports upon which. the ends have a tendency to bend, it is advantageousto have the supports operate consecutively singly.-

or consecutively in groups. Since the supports act as a solid unit, and do not exert an outward force after the valve 32 is closed, it is possible to prevent the supported piece from being subjected to the total force. exerted by all the support units and it is possible to reduce the force exerted -on the-supported piece at any one time to the value or theforce exerted by each individual support acting in consecutive order.

In Figure 4. Iv show another modification of my iluid device, and-fthe principal distinction resides inthe action of the valve for entrapping the fluid beneath the fluid actuated plunger. As

illustrated, thel invention in Figure 4 comprises an upper casing 9|, an intermediate casing 92 position by means of a retaining cap 91 which vis threadably connected to the upper casing 9| by means of the threads |03. 'I'he retaining cap` 91 may be provided with ear anges 98 having holes 99 through which fastening means may be inserted for mounting the fluid device toany suitable support. I'he outward plunger |00 rests upon the uid operated plunger94 and is designe to move outwardly and engage an object illustrated generally by the `reference charac Thevalve seat ms is provided in the i1/itermediate casing 92 and is arranged to be closed by a valve head IIO which is operated by means of a valve stem II4 which is actuated by means damaging the expensive cuttertool' 10. 'But for f o f the work piece .69"rests:may beVV iluid unitsot my design,'having their plungers fully extended or engaging permanent'stops. These would allow@- the work piece 69 to move down without dam-V aging it if an excessive-overloadroccurred'as ex- 70 plainedabove. The supporting members or devices I4 may be madeto f unctio'nin any order' by f means of; ,valves 'as 11 or b y changing amountof vresistance on plunger I9. as by varying spring 24.

of a uid piston II6 reciprocally mounted within the lower casing 93. 'I'he fluid piston I I6 may comprisea piston gasket I|1 vretained in place by means of a piston plate ||9 and a cupped cap I20 which is threadably secured to the lower end of the piston by means of the threads I2I. A spring expander ||8 may be employed to force the piston gasket II1 -outwardly against the inside wall of the cylinder formed in the lower casing 93., The lower end of the'valvestem II4 -is threaded as indicated by the reference character ||5 and is provided with a nut |29 which is arranged to be engaged -by the lower end of the iluid pistpn I I6 when the fluid piston II 6 is urged downwardly by the luid pressure. The downward movement of the uid piston I I 6 is opposed by a. restraining spring |22 which ls positioned between the lower end of the uid piston I I6 and a retaining cap |24 which is threadably connected tothe inside of the lower casing 93 by means of the threads |25. The value of the restraining force. of the spring`|22 may be varied by turning by using a suitable tool the retaining cap |24 which may fit into the tool recess |21. An opening |26 may be provided within the retaining cap |2'Il to allow air to escape 'from the lowermost portion'of the lower Acasing 93 when the In any case where it-is 'desirable to have the 75 uid piston I I6 is forced downwardly by the iiuid pressure. 4 v

In some applications for the use of my duid device, the nut |23 may be removed as shown in Figure 'and in these applications the spring |28 which acts downwardly upon the washer |29 may be employed to force the valve stem II4 downwardly to close the valve head IIO against the valve seat |09, whenever piston |I6 is not in contact with nut |30. The spring |28 may be dispensed with-when the unit is mounted in a vertical position as the weight of the valve stem willclose the valve. The spring |28 may also be dispensed with in the showing indicated by Figure 4.

The washer |29 may be held in place by means of a nut |30 which threadably engages the threaded portion` II5 of the valve stem II4. To operate the iiuid device shown in Figure 4, it is rst filled with a uid from a uid source. To facilitate the removal of air when filling. my fluid device with uid, the ports |05 in the casing are provided, which allow the air to escape when the upper casing 9| is unscrewed slightly from the intermediate casing 92. (When oil or uid is forced into the cylinder 95 below the plunger y 94, it will start to ow out of the ports |05, forcing thev air in advance of it. The upper casing 9| is then screwed in tight and my vdevice is. ready for operation.

In operation, iiuid` is forced under pressure I into the port |02 and since the valve head IIO is biased away from the valve seat |09, the pressure will build up in all of the fluid passages and chambers. As soon as the force created by the fluid pressureon Athe bottom of the plunger 94 becomes great enough to overcome. the spring 90, the plunger 94 will move upwardly and cause the outward plunger to engage the object IOI. 'I'he plunger 94 will continue to move until it meets with suilcient resistance `at which point the uidpressure in my device will build up sumciently to cause the fiuidpiston II6 to move downwardly and engagev the nut |23 to close the valve head IIO against the valve seat |09. The

, valve of the fluid pressure required' to force the fluid piston IIS downwardly may be varied by turning the retaining cap |24 and adjusting the object.

f i'orce exerted by the spring |22. vTherefore, the plunger 93 .may be made to exert a predeter mined pressure upon the object. I0| beforetlie valve hea'd IIO engages the valve seat |09 which entraps the fluid in the7V cylinder 95 below the plunger 94. It is understood that this predetermined pressure maybe made any value by changing the diameters of the plunger 95 and thepisyton IIB as wellas changing the tension of the other words, it will be impossible to force the plunger 94 back into the cylinder 95 regardless of the force which might be exerted on it by the object I0 I. It is to be noted that with the device shown in Figure 4 when the object IOI is removed, the piston plunger 94 will not follow the object or move outwardly as long as the valve head H0 is biased against the valve seat |09. To allow the plunger 94 to recedecthe valve head IIO is raised from the valve seat |09 by means of the piston II6 engaging the nut |30. The piston IIB may be caused to engage the nut |30 by reducing the pressure of the fluid source and permitting the spring |22 to biasthe piston IIB upV wardly. In other words, the iiuid pressure acting downwardly upon the piston IIB must, in ortermittently outwardly upon each repeated cycle i change in the-fluid pressure.

In Figure 5, I show a modified arrangementv of the device shown in Figure 4 in that the nut |23 is removed in which case the piston plunger 94 will follow the object I I0 if it is moved outwardly. In other words, the downward movement of the fluid piston I I0 does not move the valve stem |I4 downwardly to close the valve head |20 againstl the valve seat |09, but the upward movement of the fluidA piston IIG does move the valve stem II4 upwardly to lift the valve head IIO from the i valveseat |09. Thus the plunger 94 moves outwardly so long as the pressure of the fluid source is sufIlciently high to raise the load or object upon.

the plunger 94. If the load is removed, the plunger 94 will move outwardvand follow the mother worde-n1 this niodiscation the downward motion of the piston IIE merely allows the valve head |I0 to close against the valve seat |09, l

but does not force it down or hold it closed.

When the piston lI I6 is biased down. the valve t IIO acts as aone way check valve which allows uid to enter but prevents uid from leaving the cylinder 95. The piston IIS however functions to open and hold open the valve I I0 whenever the 55 piston IIS is biased upward' against the nut |30 spring |22. In cases where'it is-desirable to prevent the possibility of valve |09 closing against with resistance 'and causes the building up of the proper predetermined back pressure to move piston IIB and close valve |09 against seat IIO, a restriction member as 34 described in connecuon with Figures 1 and 2 may be mpiove desired, -this possibility may be prevented by correctly proportioning 4the passages leading besure depending upon the facility of the duid chamber to nuidwitboutleaking. 'In

vor if( with a forcesuiicient to move the valve I I0 away from the valve seat |09.

The modiiicationshown in Fig.-4 .can bemande to function substantially the samey as explained above in connection with the modication shown in'Fig. 5 by the vuse of an independent one way checkvalve connected so that itl will allow fluid -from the source 'to now into the cylinder 95 lbelow the plunger 94,' but will prevent fluid from g5 ilowing out of the cylinder 95.

The pressure on top of the valve head IIII has -no tendency to close the valve head III against the valve seatl |09 as long as the valve is open.

Ait'erthe valve ,is closed, however, any Pressure ontop of valve In would tend to nula tnevalve head III against the valve seat III and any pres.;

vsure acting on the bottom would tend to force the valve head I9 on of the valveseat |99. These pressures are equal before, the valve closes but 7 5 may or may not be equal afterthe valve closes.

'sure in the cylinder 9| i the ability of the fluid upwardly and raises since the valve cated by Fig. 5,

By making the two diameters of the valve seat ton IIB is not in contact with the nut |30, the valve will open with only a small' difference in pressure and uid will iow from the chamber |02 ini-.o the cylinder 9| under the piston 94, when the pressure in the under the piston 94, by only a negligible amount.

Dash and dot lines |35 and |36 are shown to indicate that the plunger 94 moves outwardly as the object ||0 is elevated. The valve stem ||4 is chamber I 02 exceeds the pres" urged downwardly by the spring |28. When the iluid pressure builds up to a predetermined value' as determined by the setting of the adjustable lspring 22, the

fluid piston I6 is forced downwardly and permits the spring |28 to close or bias the piston valve head ||0 againstithe valve 'seat |09. The closing of the valve head H0. against the valve seat |09 entraps the uid beneath the plunger 94 after which it may be subjected to unlimited load or force depending upon chamber to retain the fluid. To raise the valve head ||0 from the valve seat |09 the iluid pressure acting downwardly upon the iiuid piston ||6 is decreased to a value such. that the spring |22 urges the iluid piston H6 the valve stem H4. When the valve head ||0 is moved upwardly resulting from a reduced iluid pressure of the source, the entrapped fluid under the plunger 94 isfree to escape and the plunger 94 may then recede. Whenever the force created by the uid pressure under the piston 94 is less than the forces. urging the piston 94 down, the lowering of the plunger 94 is obtained by lowering the pressure ofthe iluid source and the raising of the plunger against a heavy load is obtained by increasing the pressure of the Huid-source. In lowering, however, the plunger y94 cannot recede until the pressure drops sufficiently to allow the piston ||6 to open valve ||0 while in raising the plunger can be biased upward by any pressure of the duid source ||0 olers no resistance in this direction.: v

In Fig. 6 I show an arrangement utilizing the iluid device as shown in Figs. 4' and 5. 'Ihe iiuid devices indicated generally by the referencel character |31 and |38 are the same as that shown .in Fig. and the fluid device indicated by the refy erence character |39 is the same as that shown-in Fig. 4. 'I'he reference character |40 represents an angle shape work piece which is held down to the support or xture base |4| by the support |31 and is held longitudinally against the locating stop |42 by the support unit |38. These two support units |31 and |38 being of thetype indiwill always maintain an outward force and will solidly resist any reverse move.- ment,"accordingly the angular work piece will be 'I'his locates and clamps the base of the work piece |40 securely to the xture 4|. The support |39 is then caused to move out and contact the upper end of the work piece |40 on the opposite side to the cutter |43. The support |39, being of the type as indicated by Fig. 4, moves out until it contacts the Work piece and is adjusted to exert only a slight force to'provide suiiicient resistance to cause` the pistonIIG to move and close the valve y||0 on the vvalve seat |09. The support member |39 is now a rigid unit which backs up the upper end of the work piece |40 and prevents it from moving away from the cutter |43, but does not exert a force against the work piece 40 which would tend to bend it towards the cutter |43.

While I have shown the use of a cylinder and a plunger representing my invention, it is to be understood that the cylinder and plunger may be substituted by a diaphragm or a bellows, or any fluid actuated element, which may be expanded. The valve may also be operated by a diaphragm or bellows or any iluid actuated element. The iluid actuated valve and the uid actuated members may be separate units connected by a duct. One uid actuated valve can be used to control two or more fluid actuated members or plungers if it is desired to obtain compensating features between the fluid actuated devices. When more than one of my iiuid devices are used in combination and even though they may be actuated by the same iiuid source, the fluid actuated plungers may -be made to operate in any order and they may be made to exert individually any desired force before the valves close and the valves can be made to operate in any order desired. All these functions may or may not be, as desired, independent of the pressure of the iluid source-provided the Y pressure of theiluid source is sumcientto operate the plunger embodied. in my iiuid devices.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, itis understood that the present disclosure @ias been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim as my invention: v

1. A uid pressure device arranged to be connected to a fluid source comprising, in combina tion, a. iluid chamber adapted for connection with the fluid source, a. pressure actuated valve for controlling the iiuid communication between the iiuid chamber and the uid source, restricting means located between the liuid source and the valve for restricting the ow of the fluid from held rigidly against the base |4| and the locating stop |42. The reference character |43 represents a cutter which is machining the face |44 of the Awork piece |49'. v Because the work piece |40 has the iluid source to the valve andthe fluid chamber, means responsive to the uid on the valve side of the restricting means foractuating the valve to its closed position before the pressure of the fluid on the valve side of the restricting means reaches a value substantially equal to the pressure of the ui'd on the vsource side of the `restricting means.

2. A iluid pressure device arranged to `be connected to a iluid source comprising, in combination, a housing having a iiuid chamber and a port connected in iluid communication with each other, said port. being adaptable for connection with the uid source, a movable member mounted for relative movement with respect to the housing and actuated by the fluid in the fluid chamber, a

nected in communication with the port, a second movable member mounted in the housing and actuated by the fluid in the second fluid chamber, means for actuating the valve by the second movable member and cutting on. communication from the first chamber to the second chamber, means for constraining the valve open until the pressure of the fluid in the second chamber attains a predetermined intermediate' value, and fluid restricting means located between the fluid source and the valve\for delaying the build-up of the pressure of the fluid in the said cham-` bers and permitting the valve to close before the value of the fluid pressure in the said chambers reaches a value substantially equal to the pres' sure of the uid on the source side of the fluid restricting means.

3. An extendible fluid pressure device arranged `the relative/ly movable parts to be subjected to an inward force, said valve being biased in a direction of its open position by the pressure of the fluid in the fluid chamber, and fluid pressure means in communication with said iluid source for holding the valve closed with an increased. force sovthat the relatively movable parts maybe subjected to a greater inward force thanthat which the relatively movable parts can exert prior to the closing of the valve. A

5. An extendible fluid pressure device arranged to be connected to a fluid source comprising, in combination, two relatively movable parts forming an extendible fluid chamber and adapted for connection with the fluid source, said parts being arranged to move extendibly relative to each y other and exert outward force as fluid pressure to be connected to a fluid source comprising, in

combination, two relatively movable parts forming an extendible uid chamber, said parts being arranged to move extendibly relativev` to each other and exert anoutward force as iluid pressure is applied to said fluid chamber, a second uid chamber connected in fluid communication with the first chamber, said chambers being adapted forv fluid'connectionwith the "fluid source, a"

, valve, the value of said constraining means being such that the valve is biased by the fluid pressure to its closed position before the pressure in the second chamber reaches a value substantially equal to the pressure of the iiuid source, the iiuidl pressure in the second chamber, after the closing of the valve. building up to a pressure substantially equal to the pressure of the fluid source and holding the,va1ve closed with a hydrostatic force greater than that 4required to close the valve and therebyenabling .the relatively movable parts, after the closing of the valve, to be subjected to an .inward force which is greater than the outward force which the relatively movable parts can exert prior to the closing of the valve, and fluid restricting means located between the fluid source and the valve for delaying the build-up of the pressure o'f the fluid in the said chambers and permitting the valve to close jbefore the value -of lthe fluid pressure intheis applied to said fluidchamber, a valve for entrapping the fluid in the chamber, means for lcausing the valve to close when the pressure of the fluid source acting on the chamber reaches a predetermined value, said valve being hydrostatically biased in its closed position by they pressure of the fluid in the chamber, and means for causing the valve to open when the pressure pf the fluid source recedes to a value less than that required to close the valve, thev entrapped fluid in the chamber upon" the opening of the lsaidl chambers reaches a value substantially equal /to the pressure of the fluid on thesource side of 'the fluid restricting means, and means for causing the valve to open whenthe pressure of theiluid source recedes to a value less than that required to close the valve. the entrapped iluid in the rst fluid ychamber upon the opening 'of the valve returning to the fluid, source through said .open valve. l

4. Anextendible fluid pressure device arrangedto be connected to a fluid comprisingln combination, two relatively movable parts forming an extendible fluid chamber, said parts being arranged to move extendibly relative to each other and 'exert an outward force as fluid presa valve for sure is applied to said fluidchamber,

enabling entrapping the duid in the chamber' and valve returning to the fluid source through said open valve.

6. An extendible fluid pressuredevice arranged to be connected to a fluid source and-.adapted to support a work piece comprising, in combination.'

two relatively m'ovable parts forming an extendible fluid chamber and adapted for connection with the fluid source, said parts having work engaging means and being arranged to move extendibly relative to each other and exert outward force fas fluid pressure is applied to said iluld `chamber and exert a pressure upon the work piece, a valve for entrapping the fluid in thef chamber, means for causing the valve to clo e in response to the pressure exerted by the/grork engaging means, and means for causing the valve to open when the pressure of the fluid source recedes to a value less than that required to close the valve, the entrapped fluid in the chamber upon the opening of the valve returning to the fluid source through said open valve.

. 7. An extendible fluid pressure device arranged to be connected tora fluid source comprising, in combination, two relatively movable parts forming an extendible fluid chamber, said parts being arranged to move extendibly relative to each other as fluid pressure is applied to said uid chamber, a second fluid chamberconnected in fluid communication with the4 first chamber, said chambersl being adapted foriiuid connection with the fluid' source, a pressure actuated valve for entrapping the fluid inthe first chamber thus cutting off vcommunication from the first chamber` to `the` second chamber, means responsive to the fluid pressure in the second chamber for closing the valve to entrap the fluid inthe rst fluid chamber, .constraining means for. opposing the closing of the valve, and means for causing the resistance to the flow of the fluid into the cham- 'bers to begreater than the resistance to the flow or the duid from the chambers.

8. An extendible nuid pressure device arranged to be connected to a fluid sourcey and adapted to support a work piece comprising, in combination, two relatively movable parts-formingfan extendible fluid chamber and adapted for connection with the duid source. said parts having work engaging means and being arranged to move extendibiy relative to each other as'fiuld pressure lis applied to said yfluid chamber and exert a pressureupon the 'work piece, a vvalve for entrapping the .uid in the chamber, means forl 5 causing the uld pressure to close the valve in f response to the pressure exerted by the work enopen valve.

PAUL I. SCHULTZ. 

